Soldiering question

[dave4shmups]

So I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, and while I'd love to try my hand at it, the fact that there are fumes worries me. There's a YouTube channel called eevblog and the guy there did a video where he talked about either using a machine to suck up the fumes (the one he had is pretty expensive) or having a small fan to blow them away from you while you're soldering. Still, I worry that I won't blow away enough of them, and I'll get sick.

[darcagn]

So... what's your question?

I have never bothered to open a window or run a fan while I solder, and I've never felt sick from it ever, but I'm probably not doing my health a favor there. I don't think a fume extractor is necessary, but running a fan with an open window is probably a good idea and should be enough precaution.

[dave4shmups]

So... what's your question?

I have never bothered to open a window or run a fan while I solder, and I've never felt sick from it ever, but I'm probably not doing my health a favor there. I don't think a fume extractor is necessary, but running a fan with an open window is probably a good idea and should be enough precaution.

Well, you just answered it-whether or not soldering will make me sick or not. I appreciate the reply.

[darcagn]

Not a problem! To be honest, I really like the way soldering smells, but I'm not stupid enough to purposely inhale the fumes.

[Koop]

I really like the way soldering smells

This is so quote worthy right here haha.

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

I used to fix circuit boards for washing machines as a part time job when I was a kid. 6 hours in a windowless room without ventilation with two of us soldering. That made me feel pretty ill sometimes. These days, spending a short time soldering with a window open is fine. Can't imagine it would do you much harm.

[andy251203]

I've never had a problem aside from the occasional headache from soldering all day long. I can't say it's a good thing to be breathing in toxic leaded fumes... but when I solder, I have a practice of gently blowing towards the smoke to direct it away from my face and nostrils. I also try not to breathe in any fumes and direct my face away when breathing in. You could also get a small desk fan to blow away fumes. I don't think opening a window is necessary. You just want to keep the fumes from going straight up your nostrils.

[Guspaz]

The fumes aren't generally from the lead (and the US has mostly switched to lead-free solder), they're from the rosin flux. Which is an acid. Health hazards include causing asthma and dermatitis.

[andy251203]

You're right. Screw unleaded solder. It's awful stuff.

[Guspaz]

I briefly had some lead-free stuff that came with the learn-to-solder kit, but when it came time to buy a full reel of solder, I went for the 63/37 lead solder. IIRC, lead solder is practically banned in the EU, and has tax incentives against it in the US, but I don't think we have any such things in Canada.

[the_crayon_king]

So I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, and while I'd love to try my hand at it, the fact that there are fumes worries me. There's a YouTube channel called eevblog and the guy there did a video where he talked about either using a machine to suck up the fumes (the one he had is pretty expensive) or having a small fan to blow them away from you while you're soldering. Still, I worry that I won't blow away enough of them, and I'll get sick.

For me solder fumes bothered my eyes so I got this:
http://www.amazon.com/VenTech-VT-IF-6-B ... ge_o02_s00
and this
http://www.amazon.com/TerraBloom-Flexib ... ge_o03_s00

It's a ton cheaper than the professional fume hoods and works really well for me.